Fifths-to william r



(No Model.)

0. W. MEAD. PUZZLE.

No. 589,508. Patented Sept. 7, 1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

CHARLES V. MEAD, OF NEXV BALTIMORE, NEXV YORK, ASSIGNOR OF TWO- FIFTHS TO YVILLIAM R. BRONK, OF NElV YO'RK,.N. Y.

PUZZLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 589,508, dated September 7, 1897.

Application filed November 28, 1896. Serial No. 618,739. (No model.)

To all whom it 11w, co/ cc/ue:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES \V. MEAD, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Baltimore, in the county of Greene and State of New York, have made a new and useful Invention in Puzzles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention will be fully understood by referring to the following specification and [o accompanying drawings, illustrative thereof,

in which Figure 1 isa plan view of my improved puzzle; and Fig. 2, a transverse sectional View thereof, taken on the line 00 00, Fig. 1, and as seen looking from the bottom toward the top of the drawing upon that figure.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, A represents a base made, preferably, of Wood, and D represents sides secured thereto by nails or screws or in any preferred manner.

1) p p, &c., represent a series of metallic pins driven into the upper face of the base A, the distance between said pins being generally such that they will not permit a mov- 2 5 able ball B to pass, spaces S, however, being afforded between certain adjacent pairs of pins to admit of the passage of such ball.

1 to 27, inclusive, represent a series of gates or switches pivotally secured at points near any two of such pins as are a suificient distance apart to admit of the passage of the ball. These pins and gates are so distributed, as will be obvious on inspection of the drawings, that there is afforded to the ball B in its passage between them and through the switches a great number of routes. The switch 10 at the upper end of the base, it will be seen, is pivoted near its center and affords an entrance to either one of two routes.

I 0 There might be any number of such switches,

thereby offering a greater number of puzzling routes.

Grepresents a glass cover secured in grooves in the sides D, said glass cover being adapted to be removed a sufficient distance to admit the ball B at the starting-point. (Indicated at the lower left-hand corner of Fig. 1.) The object to be accomplished by this puzzle is to start the ball B at the starting-point and ultimately cause it to reach the finish or outlet, (indicated by the word Finish, the arrow, and the letter 0.) This is effected by starting the ball B on its journey through the opening S and gate No. 1 and then tilting theentire puzzle in various directions, so as to cause the hall to pass through one open space to another, through such of the gates or switches as will bring it (the ball) ultimately to the outlet. It is to be noted that these gates or switches 1 to 27, inclusive, should be so delicately pivoted that they will move by their own weight. This puzzle is capable of affording amusement to a number of persons, even after its solution is accomplished, by endeavoring to ascertain who of such number of persons can solve it in the shortesttime after starting the ball on its journey at the starting-point.

I do not limit myself to the special details of construction herein shown and described, as it is obvious that in place of pins 19 1) any equivalent runways might be utilized, either in the nature of strips of metal or wood, or the body of the base A might be grooved and provided with enlarged openings which corre- 7 5 spond to the enlarged spaces seen in plan View, Fig. 1, as shown at dotted lines at R B, Fig. 2, and the necessary gates or switches might be secured in said runways in any preferred manner, my invention being directed, 8o broadly, to the use of a series of runways and switches or gates so arranged as to afford a number of routes for a moving agent, such as a ball or its equivalent.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A puzzle consisting of a base-board and a ball adapted to move thereon, in combination with a series of pins secured tosaid base- 0 board at such distances from each other as to prevent the passage of the ball between them except at stated points, and a series of pivoted gates or switches adapted to permit the passage of the ball over various routes until 5 it reaches an outlet or finishing-point, substantially as described.

2. A puzzle consisting of a base-board and a ball adapted to move thereon, in combination with a series of pins secured to said baseboard at such distances from each other as to prevent the passage of the ball between them except at stated points, a series of pivoted In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 21st day of November, 10 1896.

CHARLES \V. MEAD.

Witnesses:

STEPHEN '1. WHITBEGK, PLATT S. W HEAT. 

